Rotary deep-well-drilling apparatus



' cross recess.

Patented May 12, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE E. REED, OFv HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TQ REED ROLLER BITCOMPANY, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, A. CORPORATION 0F TEXAS.

ROTARY DEEP-WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 24, 1923. Serial No. 641,144.

To all whom t may come/m.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E YREED, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Deep-Well-Drilling Apparatus, of whichy the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the t-ype of rotary drill bits for making deepwells in which cross roller cutters are employed in a recess at thelower face of the drill head, and the invention lis designed to providea structure which will enable the bit to be made in large sizes, 'sayfor instance twentyfour inches in diameter, and maintain a high degreeof efliciency in reaching with its.

cutters all parts of the large expanse -of surface covered by a head orbit of the large size mentioned. The invention consists in the featuresand combination and. arrangement of parts hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a bit orhead embodying the'invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the head l is .provided in its lower face with a recessv2 divided up into compartments by transverse bridge portions 3, 4. Thecross roller cutter is made up of sections of different diameters, thesections of smallest diameter being at the axial center of the bit orhead, and the sections of largest diameter being at the ends of thecross recess, and the cross roller may also include sections ofintermediate ldiameter, these being located in the compartments of thecross recess adjacent the central compartment of said recess. Thesecross roller sections are journalled upon a pin which .is seated in theend walls 4,"5 of the head or bit, said end wall detiningthe ends of theThe journal pin may be provided With an eccentric head to lit into asocket portion 6 in the end wall 4, sothat the pin will be held againstrotary displacement. The other end of the pin which is seated in the endwall 5 may receive a set screw introduced at 7 by which the pin will beheld against longitudinaldisplacement.- This journal pin at itsintermediate portions is supported in openings in the bridge pieces 3,4. These bridge pieces are at different distances from the axial centerof the bit or head, the bridge piece 3 being at the greater distance andby reason of this construction it will be noticed that the cross rollersections are so disposed that the sections adjacent the bridge piece 3will do the cutting under the cross piece or bridge 4 and conversely thecross roller section which is adjacent the cross piece or bridge 4 willdo the cutting under the bridge piece 3. In other words, the relation ofthese bridgel pieces is such as to bring sections of the cross rollercutter beneath the pathsdescribed by the lbridge pieces in therevolution of "the bit, so that all, parts of the bottom of the holewill' be subjected to a cutting action by the cross roller cutterorganization.

The head or bit also carries side cutters, these being located ininclined recesses or pockets 8 and mounted on journal pins which areinserted in the bearlng openings 9. These journal pins may haveeccentric heads to bel received in sockets adjacent one of the bearinopenings 9 so as to prevent the pin from eing displaced rotatively.

Suitable ports are provided for directing flushing water to the recessesin which' the cross roller cutters and the inclined side cutters arelocated, and water passages may be provided as at 10 for directing waterto the journal pins, and thence to the-bearing surfaces between thesepins and the roller cutters for lubricating these surfaces.

The side cutters are arranged in pairs, there being a pair on each sideof the cross roller cutters, and the members of each pair of side rollercutters are arranged in divergent planes which @are radial to the axialcenter of the drill head.

From an inspection of the plan view, Fig. 1, it will be seen that thecutters are so disposed as to act on all parts of the surface of thebottom of the hole, and it will be further seen that the structure is ofrugged character throughout', and that the 'various cutter sections aresecurely held in position to do the work required of them.

. -In order to lighten the structure, the head is cored out at 12, andfor strength ribs may be incorpora-ted' as at 13.

It will be understood, of course, that the' structure may be/embodied indrill heads of various sizes, the twenty-four inch diameterbeing'mentionedas an example of one size to which the invention may beapplied.

I claim:

A rotary bit for deep well drilling, comprising a head having a recessin its lower face with bridge pieces extending across said recess, crossroller cutters in said recess, and journal means for said cross rollercutters mounted in the end walls of the recess and in the bridge pieces,said bridge f said bridge pieces being at different distances from theaxial center of the drill head and with the portion of the cross rollercutter on one side of said center, extending across and below the pathdescribed by the bridge on the other side of said axial center so thatthe surface of the bottom of the hole below piecesl will be cut,substantially as described. l

In testimony whereof, I aix my signature.

CLARENCE E. REED.

